(A/N: A few things I want to address here - first off, obviously, this is my attempt at a novelization of the Honest Hearts DLC. Of all the F:NV DLCs, this one is my favorite, and I really like the way Joshua Graham was written, and how his character approaches Mormonism [and Christianity in general] without it being overbearing. This is going to be a HUGE project, and so updates will be slow. If you read this, please leave feedback!
Second, while canonically [or at least implied] the events in the Honest Hearts DLC take place before the Second Battle of Hoover Dam, I feel the events that transpire make more sense after something like a clash between two huge factions. It seems too convoluted that the Courier would go MIA in Utah for a few months, then come back and fight in the Battle for Hoover Dam like no time passed. That is why the setting for this is after the second battle; I am also approaching this from an NCR playthrough, so…yeah.)
Finally, I do not own Fallout and never will.)
2277
The NCR was by far the biggest and most costly enemy of the Legion, having stonewalled them atop Hoover Dam. No end was in sight as blood continued to spill from both the Bear and the Bull after almost a week of fighting, despite the Legion having far greater numbers. The NCR's superior firepower more than made up for their smaller ranks, however.
Joshua Graham had realized this upon seeing yet another group of veteran Legionnaires succumb to raining gunfire from rangers atop the intake towers, and dozens of recruits being gunned down by General Lee Oliver's troops at the center point atop the Dam, before they even had a chance to raise their machetes. Graham knew now that numbers meant nothing when they were outgunned and outplanned.
He'd heard very little of the NCR before meeting them, learning of their existence through tales passed among his people back home. Every story grossly underestimated what this army was capable of. Lord Caesar, however, saw their existence as a challenge - as a test. If he could cross the Dam and continue their campaign westward to conquer whatever lay ahead, his Legion would be unstoppable.
As the Malpais Legate, the second-in-command, Joshua carried out all of Caesar's orders without hesitation and without thought; no person was too innocent when it came to showcasing the power and will of the Legion.
By the time Joshua started to feel remorse over this, it was too late. He'd been serving Caesar for years at this point. The only way someone in his position could get out would be through "permanent" means. Crucifixion, if he were lucky. Desertion could be an option, too… unless…
What if he arranged for the Legion to lose here? He had the power to put an end to the fighting here, to get himself out of this damning position he'd been forced to hold over nearly two decades. The men he was commanding would for sure die, either by NCR manpower or decimatio… and while Joshua already loathed how many people had died by the hand of the Legion, these men had lost their humanity and freewill a long time ago. All they knew was war, and to follow orders without question.
Caesar's wrath at a loss of this magnitude would likely kill him, too. But Joshua was tired. He'd lost sense of who he was at his core, and serving as the Malpais Legate was far from it.
In a split-second decision, Joshua slowed his pace until he stood still, closed his eyes and muttered the first prayer to leave his lips in almost ten years.
He prayed for forgiveness of all the sins he'd committed in the name of Caesar over the last twenty years, for guidance for his next immediate steps, and for the strength to carry out those steps. Above all, he prayed for his loved ones back home, to see them again some day…assuming they wouldn't ostracize him and toss him out of town.
After a minute of mumbling under his breath, his mind was made up. He opened his eyes to a gruesome sight: nearly all of the fresh recruits under his command - most of them having never been properly trained, let alone seen battle - lay dead at the feet of the NCR. The few that were somehow still alive continued to swing their machetes and swords with some success, albeit in a very panicked manner. The veterans seemed to not notice their fallen brothers; instead, they continued fighting until Graham called out to them over the chaos:
"Legion! Forward to the front lines!" Immediately the veterans' onslaught intensified as they finally broke through the NCR's forces and pushed them westward.
"What do we do?!" One recruit called out in confusion. Before Graham could answer, the young recruit's head jerked sharply to the side as a bullet struck his temple, bits of blood and bone sprinkling out of the entry wound. He was dead before he hit the ground.
As if on cue, the gravelly voice of Chief Hanlon, leader of the legendary NCR rangers, suddenly came over a ham radio somewhere nearby. "Rangers and troopers, fall back! Repeat, fall back to Boulder City!"
Immediately, NCR rangers retreated west with some troopers right behind them. In a matter of minutes, the entire crest of the Dam appeared abandoned. Joshua sensed the NCR were attempting something judging by the sudden retreat, but ignored it as he gave another command to his men - only the seasoned veterans remained now - to follow the NCR. An eerie silence hung in the air as the veteran men ran ahead, with Graham on their heels.
The Legionnaire veterans made their way across the top of the dam and followed a small, tightly-coiled road that led west. Soon, they found themselves within the limits of a small town. The few buildings and other structures that existed in the town were in extreme disrepair, seemingly like they could collapse at any moment.
According to scouting reports that Joshua had read, this was Boulder City. Amidst the silence, wind howled and whistled through the dilapidated buildings and houses, but the NCR were nowhere to be seen.
It was as if they just…vanished.
Keeping up his own façade, Graham held up a hand to halt his men, taking in their surroundings. They stood upon the intersection of two old streets, the asphalt in just as bad a condition as the rest of the architecture. As his eyes darted across each of the buildings and their cracks, a sinking feeling ripped through his stomach as he realized what he was seeing.
All of the buildings surrounding them were covered in small, uniform square-shaped blocks. Each of these blocks, wrapped tightly with duct tape and covered in wires, had faintly glowing lights that occasionally blinked. In a rare moment, Joshua's eyes widened when he realized that these blocks were very real, very live C-4 plastic explosives.
They had walked right into the jaws of the Bear, with no way out.
Perhaps this is what we needed…
Knowing that this particular squad of Legionnaires didn't use explosives, Joshua chose to say nothing and have his men search the ruins of the city for any trace of the NCR. However, before he could do so, all of the C-4 bricks began to detonate in succession, one deafening explosion after another as chunks of concrete, rebar, and wood rained from the sky. The confused Legion had no time to react and scrambled to escape the blast zone, but amidst the chaos, there was nowhere to run.
Joshua barely made it out of the mess. By the time the rubble and dust had settled, Boulder City was in even more ruin than before. Huge chunks of broken concrete and asphalt were embedded in the ground haphazardly. To his horror, blood and visceral matter splattered out of the rocks in every direction. He had to fight the urge to vomit after seeing partially crushed Legionnaires scattered amongst the rubble, gasping for air. Most of them were missing limbs, or were pinned in place by the huge rocks.
One poor son of a bitch with a large chunk of his head missing twitched violently for a moment before he, too, expired.
As the Legate struggled to his feet, dozens of rangers popped out from behind buildings and other landmarks, aiming their sequoia ranger rifles at him. He slowly raised his hands over his head in surrender, waiting for someone to fire upon him. Did the NCR execute their enemies with firing squads?
"The greedy stir up conflict," Joshua thought to himself as a lone male ranger approached, "but those who trust in the Lord will prosper…"
"You the Malpais Legate?" The ranger asked.
"Yes."
"We'll escort you back over the Dam, then. Let this be a lesson to you Legion guys." The ranger pulled out a walkie-talkie and spoke some NCR jargon into it before gesturing towards Hoover Dam with his rifle.
Joshua hung his head in humility, and held his hands behind his back. As he made the walk of shame out of Boulder City and back across the Dam, he kept his eyes on the ground. He fought to ignore the quick, fearful beating of his heart, knowing what was to come from his actions.
He only hoped that this would be the beginning of the end for the Legion. Too many years of absorbing tribes and resources without ever truly learning how to live on their own. The entire structure and success of the tribe depended on the knowledge and guidance of a lone man who wasn't much older than Graham himself… abstaining from firearms and advanced weaponry solely out of principle… treating women as nothing more than broodmares...
The Legion was doomed to fail, one way or another. Joshua Graham understood this for years now.
Caesar, however… that was a different story.
